Sri Krishna describes the third
stage of devotion: “If you are incapable of constant practice, then devote
yourself to My service. For even by rendering service to Me you will
attain perfection.” (Bhagavad Gita, 12.10)

Commentaries on the above verse
describe several methods of serving God: construction of temples, laying
out temple gardens, cleaning the place of worship, lighting lamps in the
temple, gathering flowers, preparing offerings, procuring articles of
worship, performing the worship, chanting His names, singing His praises,
prostrating before God, and circumambulating temples—doing all this out of
love of God.

Rasik, a sweeper at the
Dakshineswar Temple garden, was of the lowest caste. He kept the temple
premises clean, including the privies, but shied away from people because
of his low status. One day, as Sri Ramakrishna was returning to his room
from the pine grove, a disconsolate Rasik fell at his feet and earnestly
implored him, “Father, shall I not achieve anything in this life?” Sri
Ramakrishna told him, “Of course you will, you will achieve everything. So
many devotees visit this temple and you serve them by cleaning the temple
garden.” Sri Ramakrishna blessed him and said, “You will see me at the
time of death.” And it happened that Rasik spent his last moments chanting
the name of God. All of a sudden, his face beamed with joy. He cried out,
“Father, you have come! So you have not forgotten me.” Thus he breathed
his last.

Rasik attained everything because
of his great longing for God. Without this longing, worship becomes just
another humdrum activity. Describing worldly people’s worship, Sri
Ramakrishna says: “Some people have their shrine rooms in their
attics. The women arrange the offerings and flowers and make the
sandal-paste. But, while doing so, they never say a word about God. The
burden of the conversation is: ‘What shall we cook today? I couldn't get
good vegetables in the market. That curry was delicious yesterday. That
boy is my cousin. Hello there! Have you that job still? Don't ask me how I
am. My Hari is no more.’ Just fancy! They talk of such things in the
shrine room at the time of worship!”

We need to learn to do our duties
looking upon God as the Master and ourselves as His servants, and accept
that our capacity for doing work is His gift and that the results of our
work really belong to Him. Work done in such a spirit amounts to doing
God’s work. Sri Krishna describes the efficacy of doing work as worship:
“From whom all beings proceed and by whom the whole universe is
pervaded—by worshipping Him through the performance of his duty man
attains perfection.” (Gita, 18.46)

God dwells in the hearts of all
beings (Gita, 18.61). Serving others in a spirit of worship of the
indwelling God is yet another way of working for God.

Furthering the mission of a divine
Incarnation also amounts to serving God. Many people today worship Sri
Ramakrishna as a special manifestation of God. He realized the same
ultimate Truth through all religions. He lived in God, knew nothing but
God, and talked only about God. His one aim in life was to awaken people
to the ideal of God-realization and to help them advance toward that goal.
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, the twin organizations founded
in his name, have a twofold objective: “One’s own freedom and the welfare
of the world.” Rendering service to these two organizations through any of
their centers throughout the world is also rendering service to God.
(To be continued)